Nathan Yau

Mapping chemical plants, the pollution around them, and more chemical plants

Maps / chemical, pollution, ProPublica

ProPublica, with The Advocate and The Times-Picayune, estimated chemical concentrations in a highly…

When Americans Reach $100k in Savings

Data Underload / debt, millennial, money, net worth

It was reported that 1 in 6 millennials have at least $100,000 saved. Is this right? It seems high. I looked at the data to find out and then at all of the age groups.

Worst performing circuits mapped with fire risk

Maps / PG&E, Wall Street Journal, wildfire

This month PG&E has been shutting down power to thousands of households in…

High-resolution satellite image of Kincade fire, up close from far away

Maps / Planet, satellite imagery, wildfire

I feel like satellite imagery has upped its skillset in recent years. According…

Kincade fire in Sonoma County via satellite imagery

Maps / satellite imagery, wildfire

You can see the time-lapsed imagery with this browser. [via @weatherdak]…

The Myth of ‘Dumbing Down’

Statistics / audience, communication

For The Atlantic, Ian Bogost on communicating complex ideas to an audience:
One…

How Charts Lie

Visualization / Alberto Cairo, misleading

Charts can reveal truths that we never would see otherwise, but they can…

Visualizing the Friends sitcom

Infographics / Friends, television

Marion Rouayroux, a graphic designer and a big fan of the show Friends,…

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How to Use IPUMS Extraction Tools to Download Survey Data

Tutorials / IPUMS

Almost all of my visualization projects that use data from the Census Bureau comes via IPUMS. In this guide, I provide five steps to getting the data you need using their tools.

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Analysis as Detective Work (The Process #62)

The Process / analysis, messy

Analysis and visualization are often a messy process that never matches up to the step-by-step guides you read, but that’s normal.

Cleaning your data with Excel and Google Spreadsheets

Software / cleaning, Excel, Lisa Charlotte Rost, spreadsheet

For Datawrapper, Lisa Charlotte Rost outlines the steps to prepare and clean your…

Photographs from above, an Overview

Data Art / photography, satellite imagery

Overview is an ongoing project that uses a zoomed out view for a…

Mapping When and Where People Start their Commute

Data Underload / commute

For commuters, the farther away you live from the workplace, the earlier you have to leave your house to get to work on time. How much does that start time change the farther out you get?